Focus: Throwing medals — Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Updated 4:42 pm, Monday, May 6, 2013

Readers share their opinions of Mayor Julián Castro (shown at the 2011 Battle of Flowers Parade) throwing medals, despite the city ordinance that prohibits throwing items at spectators during parades.

Readers share their opinions of Mayor Julián Castro (shown at the 2011 Battle of Flowers Parade) throwing medals, despite the city ordinance that prohibits throwing items at spectators during parades.

Photo: File Photo, San Antonio Express-News

Focus: Throwing medals — Tuesday, May 7, 2013

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Who's to blame?

Re: “Enforcement of 'no tossing' law irks some,” A Section, April 30:

Let's see now, did (the mayor) and his spouse throw medals into the crowd during the Battle of Flowers parade? Yes, he admitted that they threw “at least 400 medals from a convertible,” but he was never warned not to do so. So he was ignorant of the city ordinance, apparently.

He blames the media for using this example as being “silly,” and “overreacting” to make something out of nothing, and in the KENS-TV report on Friday, he claimed the media were once again looking for something to get on him about.

So it's all the media's fault; he can do no wrong. And if I'm not mistaken, in none of the accounts I've read or heard, has he offered an apology for having made this faux pas.

Rey Feo apologized as a grown-up would be expected to. Perhaps this wasn't actually our mayor, but rather his twin brother, also on the government payroll, taking his place at a public function?

Most Popular

After initially calling to perhaps change the city ordinance, and then being prompted by his handlers more than likely over the weekend, he changed his position on Monday to a more low-key neutral position, saying, “Let's work with parade officials to remind future participants about the ordinance.”

Politicians, most of 'em, don't know how to take blame, only how to cast blame on others. So don't expect an apology. Way too easy.

Let me get this straight: As I review this morning's paper I see that government is “regulating” the amount of cloth on a stripper's breast, the legality of domestic partners, and the throwing of beads and such off a float during Fiesta (I thought it was a party?)

We allow the government to intrude brusquely in such non-lethal matters, but when it comes to any kind of gun control to protect the populace in the face of one massacre after another, the government fails to act.

Roger Barnes

Enough is enough

Re: “Enforcement of 'no tossing' law irks some,” A Section, April 30:

There is a reason why there is a city ordinance of no throwing of medals from parade floats.

Many years ago a child was run over and killed while trying to go after a medal. Now Mayor Castro calls the ordinance “silly,” and “a bit of an overreaction.”

The parades make all entries sign an application that includes a section stating that nothing will be thrown at spectators. Who signed the application? Are we to wait and see another child get killed? The blood of the child and the lawsuit will be on the mayor's hands.

It was stated that in New Orleans, beads are thrown at spectators but only because the Louisiana state legislature passed a law stating that “spectators are at their own risk,” to avoid lawsuits.

More Information

Guidelines

Send letters to: letters@express-news.net

Letters may also be mailed to Letters, Express-News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297. Include your name, address and daytime

I was sitting at the river parade and a lady close to me was hit in the eye by a medal, and children were dangerously close to the water begging for a medal.